Sit down my old friends and let me tell you a story, you like stories don't you? Well, this is not a conventional story, like the one with a hero and a villain. This is a story unlike any other.
There was a man who, no matter what was thrown at him, would never bend or break. He would stand his ground and plant his feet, unable to move, he was deemed the immovable man. When the entire world went one way, he would stand his ground and make his own path, standing out amongst the crowd.
There was another, a lady, who no matter what stood in front of her, would never stop moving forward. She would break through any obstacle presented to her. No matter what way the world turned, she would forge her own path. No matter what stood in her way, she was deemed the unstoppable woman.
One day it seemed like fate stepped in and pushed the unstoppable woman in the right direction, moving her in the direction of the immovable man. She met him while she was passing through a small town on her own business. He was standing tall and proud in front of her, hands on his hips and a smile on his face- she only came about to his shoulders. He had an energy about him that reminded her of the warm sun shining upon a tree which she would sit under when she was younger.
"Could you point me in the right direction?" She said with a light voice.
Her voice.
It was like the sound of the ocean crashing against the jagged rocks of the shore, harsh and gruff, but a certain beauty that drew people in, but could just as easily push them away.
"Of course," said the immovable man, "it's right over that way, but I have to warn you, it's very dangerous that way. Do you need someone to help you? I could." The immovable man's voice took her aback slightly. She expected a rougher voice, hardened with the burdens of life, but instead he spoke softly, like a blanket on a cool night under the stars.
"No, I can do it myself. I'll be just fine." The unstoppable woman said, a little more harshly than she would've liked.
"Ok, I'll be here if you need any help." The immovable man called after her.
The area he alluded to was a giant maze. She couldn't tell it from where she interacted with the man, but this maze was massive; it twisted and turned for miles and miles. It was full of dead ends and wrap arounds that spit her out where she had already been. She ran through it and tackled it head on. The maze would throw obstacle after obstacle at her, but she was so stubborn, hardheaded, and strong that she would meet whatever was thrown at her with unrelenting force. The maze’s walls would shift suddenly to cut her off from the path, but she would just grunt, turn, and go back the way she came from to find another passage.
She traversed this landscape for what seemed like forever. She was tired, and alone, and for the first time ever, she wasn't sure if she could keep going. It had seemed like she had scoured every passage the maze had to offer and she still hadn’t found the exit. When a wall would shift in front of her, she wouldn’t run back the way she came. She would hunch over exhausted, it took all her willpower to keep going. More than anything she wanted to get out of this maze, to find the exit and move on with her journey. But in the darkest of hours she gave up, she collapsed, she couldn't keep going.
"Now do you need some help?" A booming, yet gentle voice exclaimed behind her.
His voice.
At this moment, his voice was a welcomed escape, like a vacation that was long overdue. It was like a blanket that wrapped around her, comforting her and making her feel safe.
The unstoppable woman rose to her feet and shouted, "I told you, I don't need your help, I can do this by myself." In a harsh tone she had never heard come from her mouth before, she shaded with surprise at the amount of anger in her voice. She expected him to turn and forsake her, to leave her stranded in the maze for the rest of her days. She was afraid for the first time in her life. Afraid that the man would leave her, she found herself longing for him to take her far away from this place. She was frozen with fear because she was certain he would leave. But he didn't. Instead he smiled a warm smile and continued walking towards her.
He laid a hand on her shoulder and said, "I know the way out, I could show you if you want me to."
She took his hand and let him guide her. They went down corridors that spiraled downward like stairs. They took shortcuts, and doubled back whenever he accidentally made a wrong turn. When the walls would begin to shift, the immovable man would sprint forward to stand in front of the wall and he would keep it from closing, allowing the woman to slip by.
When they were walking together through the maze the man desperately wanted to talk with the woman, but everytime he thought of something he could say, he second guessed himself and decided it was best not to speak. The woman saw he would turn to her, mouth open and eyes wide with excitement, only to turn to the ground in disappointment.
He was nervous to talk to her.
She decided to take matters into her own hands, so she turned to the man and asked, “So who exactly are you? I know you know your way through here, or at least I’m hoping you do.”
The immovable man sighed a relieving breath and chuckled, “I’m known as the Immovable Man. I encountered this maze many years ago, and I found my way out on my own, but I decided I would go back and help people through it.”
The unstoppable woman looked at the immovable man right in the eyes. His eyes were a gray blue color and held more feeling than any eyes she had ever seen. She wasn’t sure what to say to him so she opted for, “Alrighty,” and kept walking forward.
The immovable man couldn’t help but chuckle as he felt his cheeks growing warm. She was as bad at talking as he was, he thought that was cute. He started her way trying to catch up to her as she turned right down a corridor, “The right way is this way, he pointed to his left.”
She stopped in her tracks and whirled around on her heel and strutted past the man, “I knew that,” she chuckled, “I was just testing you.” She wagged a finger at him as she strutted past. The immovable man was dumbfounded at her confidence, he admired it.
Every once in a while he caught her looking at him. He didn’t mind really, because an equal amount of times she caught him looking at her. She was unlike anyone he had helped through before. She was strong. Just taking a glance at her you could tell she was., She had short blonde hair in a bun on the top of her head that bounced when she walked.
It was nearing nightfall. “I think we should stop here for the night, and we can pick back up in the morning. Normally people don’t make it this far in one day. Usually we stop halfway back there.” The immovable man said with a semi weary voice. He put his back against the maze wall and slid down it.
The unstoppable woman didn’t realize it, but she was feeling tired too. Her legs and arms were heavy and she felt her eyelids grow heavy too. She slid down the wall next to the immovable man, and before she realized what she was doing she laid her head on his shoulder and drifted off to sleep.
The man looked down at her sleeping face, and for the first time in a while he felt peace. He laid his head against hers and shivered. It was getting colder, which must mean they were getting closer to the exit. He drifted off to sleep as he shielded her from the cold wind blowing from the path ahead.
The unstoppable woman woke to the immovable man’s shivering next to her. She got to her knees and grabbed his arm and shook him awake, “What happened? Why are you shaking?”
The immovable man got to his feet and helped her up, "We are nearing the end, that means the maze is going to throw everything it has at us to keep us trapped." The man looked at his feet and took the woman's hands in his, "You have to promise me, no matter what you'll keep hold of my hand. I don't want to lose you this close to the end."
He felt the women's hands tighten in his, "Don't worry," said the woman looking up at him. She put a finger under his chin and lifted his head so he could look her in the eyes, "I promise I won't let go."
The immovable man took her hand and guided her down the last corner where she was taken aback by what she saw. There was a frozen wasteland that stretched between them and the exit, with swirling winds and freezing temperatures, rough terrain and unsure footing. For the first time in a long, long time she was unsure if she'd make it.
The immovable man looked down at her, sensing she was unsure about the last leg. He turned to her and took both of her hands and looked her in the eye. "I know you're scared, I can see it in your eyes, but know I will be with you every step of the journey. If you ever falter, I will be there to pick you up."
The man's voice melted her heart, and she tightened her grip on his hand and nodded to him. They turned together to face the blizzard and stepped into it. Immediately she began to shiver as the cold air stung every inch of her being. She buried her face into the immovable mans shirt, and he wrapped her arms around him. He lifted her off the ground and carried her most of the way to the end, only stopping one time to make sure she was okay.
The cold was unbearable, the air stung her face as they made the trec, but the man never stopped. When they finally reached the end, she looked up at the man’s face. It looked the same as it did when they first met, kind and soft. He set her down and gestured towards the landscape in front of him, “This is it, the end. I wish you the best of luck on the rest of your journey.” The immovable man dropped his gaze and mumbled, “I’ll miss you.”
Reality finally sank in. This was the end. This would be the last time she would get to hold onto his hand, the last time she got to feel powerful with someone.
She surveyed the landscape laid out before her. It was breathtaking. Beautiful grassy fields stretched as far as the eye could see. Gorgeous animals frolicked in the fields without a care in the world. It truly looked like paradise.
“This makes it all worthwhile.” The immovable man quietly said. She looked up and saw, instead of his usual happy expression, pain. “It’s just harder this time.” The man squeaked out looking at his feet.
The woman put a finger under his chin and lifted his head to look into his eyes, “What will you do now?”
“I’ll go back to the beginning, and wait for someone else to stumble upon the maze. Someone always does.” The man grabbed her hand and kissed it, “I wish you the best of luck with everything you do. Whatever you come across, I know you’ll find a way to get through it. I believe in you.”
The unstoppable woman’s eyes filled with tears, “Why don’t you come with me? We could journey together.”
The immovable man stood a little taller, “My place is here. There will always be someone who stumbles upon the maze. They will get lost, and I have to be here to guide them through it. You don’t know how many people have been lost forever in there.” The man turned back to face the blizzard.
The unstoppable woman turned to look at the field stretched out in front of her. Thenshe turned and looked at the man, and he looked sorrowful. She turned to face the blizzard with him and shoved her hand into his, “I want to stay with you. I’ve never met anyone like you. We can show them together.”
The man smiled and glanced at her. Without another thought, they both disappeared into the swirling winds.
No comments:
Post a Comment